He’s ‘Allergic to transparency’: Brampton mayoral challengers slam Patrick Brown for no-show at debates

Although the incumbent Mayor Patrick Brown’s name was on the slate, his chair remained conspicuously empty for the Brampton Board of Trade/Y Media debate held on Monday. He was also absent for the Better Brampton debate today, October 6, held at the Royal Palm event venue.

At an earlier arts debate, Brown disappeared after a brief appearance, before other candidates, the public or the media could question him. 

Brampton mayoral candidate Paul Tariwal was not surprised by Brown’s latest no-show at a debate Tuesday that the challenger attended, hoping to question Brown on his controversial record as mayor. “He will never be in a large crowd where people can ask him questions.” 

Tariwal highlighted the irony of one of Brown’s common quotes on the campaign trail. “His first line is, ‘I want open debates’,” Tariwal said. “And here he is not.”

Mayoral candidates Wesley Jackson, left, and Paul Tariwal both criticized Patrick Brown’s absence from debates on October 5th and 6th. Jackson said Brown has an obligation to defend his record. (Adrian Peries/The Pointer)

Brown’s time as Brampton mayor has been marked by a series of scandals, external investigations and broken promises, much like his entire checkered political career. 

Brown provided no reason for his absences. He simply did not show up. 

As Brampton voters get closer to the municipal election on October 26, debates have been a way for candidates to share their platform, introduce themselves to residents and question the incumbents, but not Patrick Brown.

Instead, he has been bombarding social media and traditional media with misleading claims about his accomplishments over eight years as mayor. 

“It’s disrespectful to residents,” mayoral candidate Sandeep Somal said Tuesday, at the latest debate Brown skipped. “It’s disrespectful to democracy. It’s disrespectful to us candidates.”

He questioned many of the claims Brown has been making in expensive glossy flyers that have been mailed out to residents across the city, and during staged media interviews with local Brampton outlets.

“If you believe in this record that you’re pushing to residents and in your flyers, you should stand on it and stand by it as well.”

Mayoral candidate Wesley Jackson said Brown’s behaviour undermines the entire foundation of the local democratic process.

“It wouldn’t matter if he was the only person on stage,” he said. “It’s his obligation to be there, unless there’s a really good reason why he can’t be.

“I’m not Clint Eastwood. I don’t argue with empty chairs,” Jackson added, referencing the Hollywood actor’s infamous speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where he spoke to an empty chair, pretending that U.S. President Barack Obama was seated there. 

“It’s a risky strategic move to snub the business community,” Jackson said, referring to Monday’s Brampton Board of Trade debate that Brown ignored. Jackson pointed out that it is held ahead of every municipal election and candidates had known about it for weeks. 

Prabh Gill, who is also running for mayor, was more direct in his criticism of Brown. “It’s actually mocking democracy, insulting democracy, insulting the candidates, insulting the media,” he said. 

“I’m not mad, angry or frustrated,” he said. “I’m just disappointed.”

Mayoral candidate Prabh Gill said Patrick Brown’s absence from both major debates was “insulting” to the other candidates, the media and Brampton residents. (The Pointer/Adrian Peries)

Brown showed up briefly at the Brampton Arts Organization debate at the Springdale Library on September 15. He left shortly after it started, following brief comments he made, leaving his challengers wondering where he went and why he did not stay to face any tough questions about his record, after his misleading claim that the city’s arts venues are fully booked. The Rose Theatre, for example, the city’s largest arts venue, has been infamously under-utilized for more than a decade, with severe revenue shortfalls that taxpayers have been forced to cover, as residents have questioned why it is rarely booked. Reports have shown the city’s arts venues lose millions of dollars a year that has to be subsidized by taxpayers. But Brown was long gone before he could be questioned at the debate.

On Tuesday, October 6, Prabh Gill, Wesley Jackson, Paul Tariwal, Vidya Sagar Gautam and Nathaniel Peart were present for the latest mayoral debate. An empty chair and a sign that read, “Mayor Patrick Brown” were all that remained for the incumbent. 

The seat set aside for Patrick Brown at a Brampton mayoral debate Monday hosted by the city’s board of trade was vacant. He did not show up. (Adrian Peries/The Pointer)

For the pre-recorded October 5 Brampton Board of Trade mayoral debate that will be broadcast by Y Media and was closed to the public, Somal said the organizers told candidates how many were expected, and it was understood by participants The Pointer spoke with that Brown would be there. The debate was scheduled for 1 p.m., and the candidates, according to Somal, waited until roughly 1:30 or 1.45 for Brown to arrive. 

When he did not show up, Jackson said the other candidates met to decide whether to proceed. They went ahead because the absence was not the organizers’ fault, and they did not wish to disrespect the business community, the media and mainly Brampton voters. 

Somal said the Board of Trade highlighted Brown’s absence at the start of the event then moved on with the planned debate.
 

Candidates have had questions for Patrick Brown, including his misleading claim of $9.4 billion secured for projects in Brampton, long wait times for affordable housing and the city’s struggling transit system. (Alexis Wright/The Pointer)

Somal believes Brown wants to protect his image. “We know he’s got one foot out the door,” he said. “He’s trying to position himself as a federal leader and doesn’t want other people to smear that or be critical of the things he’s been touting on this campaign trail.”

Brown campaigned in 2022 for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership while he was mayor, refusing to take a leave or stop getting paid, even though he crisscrossed the country while hoping to leave Brampton to take over the CPC leadership. He was later disqualified from the race over allegations of campaign finance violations. Brown then decided to run for mayor again later in 2022.

On Tuesday, candidates said they had come with tough questions for Brown. 

Jackson said he had planned to press Brown on housing. The wait-list for affordable housing was six years in 2018, he said, and “today it starts at 13 years.” He wanted to ask why Brown had not committed to a land value audit, and how a cut to fees developers are supposed to pay would actually lower prices for homes.

On transit, Jackson questioned how Brown could have signed a multi-million-dollar private transit deal with a largely unproven company named Argo, “when we don’t even know if we can fund the next five years of (Brampton) Transit.”

Brown has refused to answer questions about the highly secretive deal.

Jackson also planned to question Brown on his giveaways to wealthy developers. “When developers don’t pay development charges, buyers pay development charges.” 

Somal said he intended to challenge Brown’s claims of $9.4 billion in investment for Brampton, which he called misleading. Tariwal argued the $9.4 billion total “wasn’t his,” saying much of it came from other levels of government and previous councils, or has not even been guaranteed. 

Gill said his questions centred on transparency. “What are you hiding?”. He said he wanted Brown to commit to staying in the job for four years, if he wins on October 26, rather than jumping into a federal leadership race. 

Somal said that voters should read the absence as a warning. “When you can’t hold yourself accountable and stand on your record, you’re not going to be able to hold councillors and other city workers accountable.”  

The Pointer asked Brown why he skipped the debates. He did not respond.

That’s probably not surprising to Gill.

“Patrick Brown is allergic to transparency.”

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